It seems that The Big Guy will get fed no more, at least from WWE. Ryback has been off of WWE television for a full week and it doesn't appear that he will be returning anytime soon due to a dispute over his contract, which is up in a few months.
Background
The problems began when Ryback attempted at negotiating for more pay in his contract as he wasn't happy with his place in the company and how he felt he was being compensated for that place. After being unable to come to an agreement, he was taken off of last week's Raw, where he was supposed to be in the number one contender's battle royal for the United States Championship, and he hasn't been seen since.
Last week, Ryback released a statement explaining part of the negotiations and his decision to leave on his personal Tumblr page. He claimed that it wasn't about money but, rather, about the pay for all of the wrestlers in the company. In his post, he makes some valid points about wrestlers being creatively stifled by writers who don't have anything for wrestlers even if the crowd loves them.
Equal Pay
What doesn't make sense, in terms of an entertainment industry, is the equal pay argument that he makes. Ryback claims that all of the wrestlers should be equal because the guys that win are just as important as the guys who lose because the outcome is predetermined. What he fails to understand is that an entertainment business is all about individual star power. Those who win do so because they are bigger stars and can bring in more money.
In his attempt to be a voice for many in the locker room, Ryback has inadvertently shot himself in the foot with this argument. There will never be equal pay for those who lose versus those who win because their value to the company is so different. Just like Brad Pitt won't be paid as much as an extra because their values to the movie are completely different.
What's Next?
Ryback has taken himself off of television\, and with all of the recent cuts that WWE has made in its annual spring cleaning, he might have put himself on that list. WWE has shown that their hand a bit as all of Ryback's merchandise on their website is discounted. It seems that Ryback has voluntarily ended his career with the WWE, and based on his post on his Tumblr, he seems very okay with it.
The interesting thing will be where does The Big Guy end up? His style isn't technical enough for someone like an ROH and TNA barely has the money to keep the lights on. If the dispute was really about money, then the only place that Ryback can really end up would be New Japan.
There have been hundreds of large white men who have gone to New Japan and become stars. If the contract dispute was really about money, then Ryback will go make himself a star and come back to the WWE with a higher asking price and if not, who knows where Ryback will turn up.